Biopsy samples have been obtained in a variety of ways in various medical procedures using a variety of devices. Biopsy devices may be used under stereotactic guidance, ultrasound guidance, MRI guidance, PEM guidance, BSGI guidance, or otherwise. For instance, some biopsy devices may be fully operable by a user using a single hand, and with a single insertion, to capture one or more biopsy samples from a patient. In addition, some biopsy devices may be tethered to a vacuum module and/or control module, such as for communication of fluids (e.g., pressurized air, saline, atmospheric air, vacuum, etc.), for communication of power, and/or for communication of commands and the like. Other biopsy devices may be fully or at least partially operable without being tethered or otherwise connected with another device.
Merely exemplary biopsy devices and biopsy system components are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,526,822, entitled “Method and Apparatus for Automated Biopsy and Collection of Soft Tissue,” issued Jun. 18, 1996; U.S. Pat. No. 5,928,164, entitled “Apparatus for Automated Biopsy and Collection of Soft Tissue,” issued Jul. 27, 1999; U.S. Pat. No. 6,017,316, entitled “Vacuum Control System and Method for Automated Biopsy Device,” issued Jan. 25, 2000; U.S. Pat. No. 6,086,544, entitled “Control Apparatus for an Automated Surgical Biopsy Device,” issued Jul. 11, 2000; U.S. Pat. No. 6,162,187, entitled “Fluid Collection Apparatus for a Surgical Device,” issued Dec. 19, 2000; U.S. Pat. No. 6,432,065, entitled “Method for Using a Surgical Biopsy System with Remote Control for Selecting an Operational Mode,” issued Aug. 13, 2002; U.S. Pat. No. 6,626,849, entitled “MRI Compatible Surgical Biopsy Device,” issued Sep. 11, 2003; U.S. Pat. No. 6,752,768, entitled “Surgical Biopsy System with Remote Control for Selecting an Operational Mode,” issued Jun. 22, 2004; U.S. Pat. No. 7,442,171, entitled “Remote Thumbwheel for a Surgical Biopsy Device,” issued Oct. 8, 2008; U.S. Pat. No. 7,648,466, entitled “Manually Rotatable Piercer,” issued Jan. 19, 2010; U.S. Pat. No. 7,837,632, entitled “Biopsy Device Tissue Port Adjustment,” issued Nov. 23, 2010; U.S. Pat. No. 7,854,706, entitled “Clutch and Valving System for Tetherless Biopsy Device,” issued Dec. 1, 2010; U.S. Pat. No. 7,914,464, entitled “Surgical Biopsy System with Remote Control for Selecting an Operational Mode,” issued Mar. 29, 2011; U.S. Pat. No. 7,938,786, entitled “Vacuum Timing Algorithm for Biopsy Device,” issued May 10, 2011; U.S. Pat. No. 8,083,687, entitled “Tissue Biopsy Device with Rotatably Linked Thumbwheel and Tissue Sample Holder,” issued Dec. 21, 2011; U.S. Pat. No. 8,118,755, entitled “Biopsy Sample Storage,” issued Feb. 21, 2012; U.S. Pat. No. 8,801,742, entitled “Needle Assembly and Blade Assembly for Biopsy Device,” issued Aug. 12, 2014; U.S. Pat. No. 8,938,285, entitled “Access Chamber and Markers for Biopsy Device,” issued Jan. 20, 2015; and U.S. Pat. No. 8,858,465, entitled “Biopsy Device with Motorized Needle Firing,” issued Oct. 14, 2014. The disclosure of each of the above-cited U.S. Patents is incorporated by reference herein.
Additional exemplary biopsy devices and biopsy system components are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2006/0074345, entitled “Biopsy Apparatus and Method,” published Apr. 6, 2006, now abandoned; U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2008/0146962, entitled “Biopsy System with Vacuum Control Module,” published Jun. 19, 2008, issued as U.S. Pat. No. 9,095,326 on Aug. 4, 2015; U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2008/0214955, entitled “Presentation of Biopsy Sample by Biopsy Device,” published Sep. 4, 2008, issued as U.S. Pat. No. 9,345,457 on May 24, 2016; U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2008/0221480, entitled “Biopsy Sample Storage,” published Sep. 11, 2008, issued as U.S. Pat. No. 8,118,755 on Feb. 21, 2012; U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2009/0131821, entitled “Graphical User Interface For Biopsy System Control Module,” published May 21, 2009, now abandoned; U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2009/0131820, entitled “Icon-Based User Interface on Biopsy System Control Module,” published May 21, 2009, issued as U.S. Pat. No. 8,454,531 on Jun. 4, 2013; U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2010/0113973, entitled “Biopsy Device with Rotatable Tissue Sample Holder,” published May 6, 2010, issued as U.S. Pat. No. 8,241,226 on Aug. 14, 2012; U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2010/0152610, entitled “Hand Actuated Tetherless Biopsy Device with Pistol Grip,” published Jun. 17, 2010, now abandoned; U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2010/0160819, entitled “Biopsy Device with Central Thumbwheel,” published Jun. 24, 2010, now abandoned; U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2010/0160824, entitled “Biopsy Device with Discrete Tissue Chambers,” published Jun. 24, 2010, issued as U.S. Pat. No. 8,702,623 on Apr. 22, 2014; U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2010/0317997, entitled “Tetherless Biopsy Device with Reusable Portion,” published Dec. 16, 2010, issued as U.S. Pat. No. 8,206,316 on Jun. 26, 2012; U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2012/0109007, entitled “Handheld Biopsy Device with Needle Firing.” published May 3, 2012, issued as U.S. Pat. No. 8,764,680 on Jul. 1, 2014; U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2013/0053724, entitled “Biopsy Device Tissue Sample Holder with Bulk Chamber and Pathology Chamber,” published Feb. 28, 2013, issued as U.S. Pat. No. 9,326,755 on May 3, 2016; U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2013/0144188, entitled “Biopsy Device With Slide-In Probe,” published Jun. 6, 2013, issued as U.S. Pat. No. 9,486,186 on Nov. 8, 2016; and U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2013/0324882, entitled “Control for Biopsy Device,” published Dec. 5, 2013, now abandoned. The disclosure of each of the above-cited U.S. Patent Application Publications, U.S. Non-Provisional Patent Applications, and U.S. Provisional Patent Applications is incorporated by reference herein.
In U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2005/0283069, entitled “MRI Biopsy Device Localization Fixture” published Dec. 22, 2005, issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,831,290 on Nov. 9, 2010, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein, a localization mechanism, or fixture, is described that is used in conjunction with a breast coil for breast compression and for guiding a core biopsy instrument during prone biopsy procedures in both open and closed Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machines. The localization fixture includes a three-dimensional Cartesian positionable guide for supporting and orienting an MRI-compatible biopsy instrument, and, in particular, a cannula/sleeve to a biopsy site of suspicious tissues or lesions. Another merely illustrative localization mechanism used for guiding a core biopsy instrument is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,507,210, entitled “Biopsy Cannula Adjustable Depth Stop,” issued Mar. 24, 2009, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein. The localization mechanism includes a grid plate configured to removably receive a guide cube capable of supporting and orienting an MRI-compatible biopsy instrument. For instance, a combination of an obturator and targeting cannula/sleeve may be introduced through a breast to a biopsy site via the guide cube, with proper positioning confirmed using MRI imaging. The obturator may then be removed and the needle of a biopsy device may then be inserted through the targeting cannula/sleeve to reach the targeted lesion.
While several systems and methods have been made and used for obtaining a biopsy sample, it is believed that no one prior to the inventor has made or used the invention described in the appended claims.
The drawings are not intended to be limiting in any way, and it is contemplated that various embodiments of the invention may be carried out in a variety of other ways, including those not necessarily depicted in the drawings. The accompanying drawings incorporated in and forming a part of the specification illustrate several aspects of the present invention, and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention; it being understood, however, that this invention is not limited to the precise arrangements shown.